


Ribbons

by sansakatara



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: just pure fluff, still suck at titles, these two girls deserved better
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-14
Updated: 2020-09-14
Packaged: 2021-03-07 03:07:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 930
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26466151
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sansakatara/pseuds/sansakatara
Summary: Jeyne had a funny feeling in her stomach, like the time she had eaten too much strawberry ice-cream and threw up on her father’s shoes.  Good shoes, too.
Relationships: Jeyne Poole & Sansa Stark
Kudos: 6





	Ribbons

Jeyne had a funny feeling in her stomach, like the time she had eaten too much strawberry ice-cream and threw up on her father’s shoes. Good shoes, too.   
She didn’t feel like throwing up now, exactly.   
No, she felt like running away. 

“Well Jelly-bean, are you ready?” Vayon Poole gave his six-year-old daughter an encouraging smile. They were standing across the road from the elementary school, where Jeyne could see children playing. Jeyne knew that eventually the bell would ring for the school-day to begin, and they would go inside, including Jeyne herself. Jeyne also knew the place where she was meant to meet her teacher, because she had learnt all this last week when her father had taken her to meet Mrs Tollett.   
She knew all this, but that didn’t mean she wanted to anyway.

Jeyne shrugged, fiddling with her plaits. Plaits was the only hair-style her father knew how to do. It had been Jeyne’s mother who knew how to do her hair.  
Her father got down on one knee. “I know you’re nervous. I’m nervous too. But I know you’ll do great, Jeyne.”

Jeyne wanted to believe him. But she couldn’t shake the funny feeling in her stomach, the thought that-   
“What if no one wants to be my friend?” The thought had been on her mind for a while. It had been with her when her father and Mrs Tollett talked, when she drifted off to sleep at night, when she had eaten her breakfast this morning, and when her father drove her to school.   
Her father took both of her hands in his. “Of course, someone will.”  
“But what if.” Jeyne had latched onto the frightening possibility and wasn’t letting go. She knew her voice sounded a little wobbly. Baby, she thought. But she only half-cared.   
Vayon sighed. “Look, there’s going to be a lot of kids who feel the same way too. You’re not going to be the only new kid Jeyne- in fact, there’ll be a whole group of you. And you know what helps in making a friend?”  
Jeyne shook a head.   
“Say hello. See if you have anything in common. Sometimes you just need to take that first step, even if it’s scary.”   
Jeyne didn’t know if her father was right or not, but she knew she couldn’t stay here forever either. 

“Thanks, Daddy.” Jeyne wrapped her arms around her father and hugged him. Her father gently untangled himself, before pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. As Jeyne started walking towards where the crossing guard waited, she turned back to give her father one final wave.  
The play-ground seemed to be even nosier now that Jeyne was in it. Some of the kids made Jeyne feel even smaller.  
Jeyne didn’t know what to do. Should she just go wait for her teacher, or maybe try doing what her father said? But she was rooted to the stop, clutching her bag straps like the way she clutched her doll after a nightmare. Her throat felt dry and her stomach coiled. Oh please, don’t let me throw up.

Out of the corner of her eye, Jeyne spied a girl that she had seen only briefly last week as she was leaving the school with her father. The girl was sitting on a bench, watching some boys play soccer, her hands folded neatly in her lap.  
Just do it, Jeyne. 

Jeyne made herself go over to the bench. “Hi,” she said, hoping her voice didn’t sound too shy. “I’m Jeyne.”  
People had always called Jeyne pretty, but Jeyne knew enough that the girl before her was really pretty. She had auburn hair and blue eyes.  
“I’m Sansa.” Even her name was soft and pretty. She smiled at Jeyne, and Jeyne smiled back, feeling the fear within her beginning to lessen.   
She noted how both their hair was tied in plaits with ribbons, except Sansa’s was blue while her’s were green.   
“I like your hair-ribbons.” Jeyne said.  
“Thanks! I like yours too. Green is a really pretty colour.”   
Jeyne sat down on the bench; all nervousness having melted away. “Thanks. I like yours better, though.”

Sansa titled her head. “Do you want to swap?” She asked suddenly.  
“Won’t your mom get mad if you come home with someone else’s hair ribbons, though?”   
Sansa shrugged. “Don’t worry, we’ll just swap back before home time. And if we forget or something, I’ll say it’s my fault.” She gave Jeyne a smile that made her look even prettier. “I think my ribbons would look really nice on you, too.”  
Jeyne did like the idea of wearing blue ribbons.   
“I don’t know how to do a bow. My mum- my dad does it for me.”  
“That’s OK. My mum showed me, so I’ll show you.” Swept up in the other girl’s excitement, Jeyne turned slightly on the bench to allow Sansa access to her hair. Sansa quickly undid Jeyne’s ribbons, before laying them on her skirt. It took a moment for her to do her own. 

“This is what you do. You kind of loop them like this,” Sansa said, circling the length in two loops. “Then fold the left under the right then pull tight. Like this, ta-da!” Jeyne’s hair was now adorned with two blue ribbons. While Jeyne admired them, Sansa quickly did her own hair.   
When Sansa was done, the two girls beamed at each other. Suddenly the bell rang, and the two girls walked to where Mrs Tollett would be waiting. Somehow Jeyne knew it without it being said- she had made a friend.


End file.
